Megaco protocol with user termination

Abstract

Megaco is a device control protocol defining a general framework for physically decomposed media gateway, where the intelligence of the gateway is in a master node called the media gateway controller and the actual switching and media transfer is performed in one or more slave nodes called the media gateway(s). In order to enable to transfer user-related information from the media gateway controller to the media gateway a user termination for the user's user-related information is created in the media gateway, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user; and the media streams to and from the user are directed via the user termination.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of providing a mechanism to transfer user-related information from a media gateway controller to a media gateway transferring media streams to and from a user in a telecommunications system, the method comprising: 
 creating in the media gateway a user termination for the user's user-related information, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user; and    directing the media streams via the user termination.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving in the media gateway at least one parameter with its value as the user's user-related information; and    storing the parameter and its value to the user termination; and    applying the stored parameter according to its value to the media streams.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the parameter relates to filtering media streams targeted at the user.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the parameter relates to adding inband information.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the parameter relates to adding downlink information.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the parameter relates to adding uplink information.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user termination is created during the user logging to the system.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user termination is created during the user logging to the system and maintained as long as the user stays logged on to the system.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user termination is defined by packages of the Mecago-protocol.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising 
 modifying the user termination by adding, subtracting or modifying information in the user termination.    
     
     
         11 . A method of applying at least one instruction to media streams transferred to a user in a media gateway via which the media streams are transferred in a telecommunications system further comprising a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, the method comprising: 
 creating in the media gateway a user termination for the user's user-related information, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user;    receiving in the media gateway at least one parameter with its value as the user's user-related information;    storing the parameter and its value to the user termination;    directing the media streams to the user via the user termination; and    applying the stored parameter according to its value to the media streams directed to the user.    
     
     
         12 . A method of applying at least one instruction to media streams transferred from a user in a media gateway via which the media streams are transferred in a telecommunications system further comprising a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, the method comprising: 
 creating in the media gateway a user termination for the user's user-related information, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user;    receiving in the media gateway at least one parameter with its value as the user's user-related information;    storing the parameter and its value to the user termination;    directing the media streams from the user via the user termination; and    applying the stored parameter according to its value to the media streams originated from the user.    
     
     
         13 . A method of filtering media streams targeted at a user in a telecommunications system comprising a media gateway transferring the media streams to the user and a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, the method comprising: 
 receiving in the media gateway a message from the media gateway controller, the message indicating that a user termination is to be created for the user's filtering information, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user;    creating in response to the message the user termination;    receiving in the media gateway at least one parameter with its value as the user's filtering information;    storing the parameter with its value to the user termination;    directing the media streams to the user via the user termination; and    filtering the media streams according to the parameter and its value.    
     
     
         14 . A network node in a telecommunications system comprising at least a media gateway functionality transferring media streams to and from a user, the network node comprising at least media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the media gateway controller functionality controlling the media gateway functionality and being configured to send an add command to the media gateway, the add command causing a user termination to be created in the media gateway functionality, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user, and to send at least one parameter with its value to the user termination, the parameter being one of the parameters relating to the user.  
     
     
         15 . The network node of  claim 14 , wherein the media gateway controller functionality is further configured to send a modify command to the media gateway functionality in response to a parameter value change, the modify command causing the media gateway functionality to amend the content of the user termination.  
     
     
         16 . A network node in a telecommunication system comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to transfer media streams to and from a user, the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a user termination in response to an add command received from the media gateway control functionality, the add command indicating that the user termination should be added, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user, and to direct all the media streams via the user termination.  
     
     
         17 . A network node in a telecommunication system comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to transfer media streams to a user, the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a user termination in response to an add command received from the media gateway control functionality, the add command indicating that the user termination should be added, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user, to add to the user termination at least one filtering parameter with its value sent by the media gateway controller functionality, to direct all the media streams via the user termination, and to filter the media streams according to the filtering parameter and its value.  
     
     
         18 . The network node of  claim 17 , being further configured to add to the user termination at least one parameter with its value, the parameter relating to adding information to the media streams, and to add information to the media streams according to the parameter and its value.  
     
     
         19 . The network node of  claim 17 , being further configured to add to the user termination at least one parameter with its value, the parameter relating to generating inband information, and to generate inband information according to the parameter and its value.  
     
     
         20 . The network node of  claim 17 , being further configured to add to the user termination at least one adding parameter with its value, the adding parameter relating to adding information to the media streams, and at least one generating parameter with its value, the generating parameter relating to generating inband information, and to add information to the media streams and generate inband information according to the parameters and their values.  
     
     
         21 . A network node in a telecommunication system comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to transfer media streams to and from a user, the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a user termination in response to an add command indicating that a user termination should be added, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user, to add to the user termination at least one parameter with its value sent by the media gateway controller functionality, the parameter relating to adding information, to direct all the media streams via the user termination, and to add information to the media streams according to the parameter and its value.  
     
     
         22 . A network node in a telecommunication system comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to transfer media streams to and from a user, the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a user termination in response to an add command received from the media gateway control functionality, the add command indicating that the user termination should be added, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user, to add to the user termination at least one parameter with its value sent by the media gateway controller functionality, the parameter relating to generating inband information, to direct all the media streams via the user termination, and to generate inband information according to the parameter and its value.  
     
     
         23 . A telecommunications system comprising 
 at least one user to whom information is sent in media streams;    at least one media gateway functionality arranged to transfer media streams to and from the user;    a media gateway controller functionality controlling the media gateway, wherein    the media gateway controller is configured to send to the media gateway functionality an add command indicating that a user termination should be added, the user termination being non-call-specific and associated with the user; and    the media gateway is configured to create the user termination in response to the received add command and to direct media streams to and from the user via the user termination.    
     
     
         24 . The telecommunications system of  claim 23 , wherein 
 the media gateway controller is further configured to send to the user termination at least one filtering parameter; and    the media gateway is further configured to store the filtering parameter to the user termination and to filter media streams targeted to the user according to the parameter.    
     
     
         25 . The telecommunications system of  claim 23 , wherein 
 the media gateway controller is further configured to send to the user termination at least one parameter relating to adding information; and    the media gateway is further configured to store the parameter to the user termination and to add information to media streams if the parameter indicates so.    
     
     
         26 . The telecommunications system of  claim 23 , wherein 
 the media gateway controller is further configured to send to the user termination at least one parameter relating to generating inband information; and    the media gateway is further configured to store the parameter to the user termination and to generate inband information if the parameter indicates so.    
     
     
         27 . The Megaco protocol used between a media gateway and a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, wherein the protocol comprises user terminations in the media gateway, each user termination being non-call-specific and associated to a corresponding user and via which user termination media streams targeted at or originated from the user are directed.  
     
     
         28 . The Megaco protocol of  claim 27 , wherein the packages of Megaco protocol are used to define the user termination.